Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Huck's Cafe

Dining out at Huck's is like dining in at a beloved friend's home, thanks to the host's hospitality and his hearty, heartfelt cooking.

Huck Seng, the affable proprietor, has converted the top floor of his suburban house into a warm, elegant venue where small groups can come together for cozy dinners.

Nearly every day, Huck slaves in the kitchen _ sometimes from noon onwards _ to prepare each meal, which generally kicks off with appetizers of shrimp-filled fried wontons. Tiny but flavor-packed and incredibly crunchy, without a trace of excess oil.

We adored the French onion soup. One of the best ever _ rich and superbly fresh. Huck buys many ingredients on a daily basis, without storing them in the fridge.

Lamb cottage pie _succulent chunks of lean meat in tangy gravy, served piping-hot and topped with thick, creamy mashed potatoes. What's even more impressive is that Huck is a self-taught chef who honed his craft by cooking for his children.

Pot-roast beef meatloaf with chickpeas. Wholesome and somewhat rustic, this comfort-foodish recipe should please even the fussiest family matriarch.

"Sealed With A Kiss" _ chicken breast marinated with thyme & white wine, foil-cooked with potatoes & five types of mushrooms. An aromatic delight; amazingly, the chicken breast tasted as tender as thighs.

Creme brulee. Simple, but as satisfying as most versions at formal restaurants.

Reservations need to be made at least 24 hours in advance. But with word-of-mouth spreading by the day, Huck's might be booked way ahead for weekends.

Wine is offered, both by the glass and bottle.

Basil seed mint soda. Prices here are reasonable; a three-course meal should cost slightly more than RM60 per person.

Huck's Cafe,

26, Jalan 5/58, Gasing Indah.

Tel: 7781-2781

Check out EAT DRINK, a new F&B website jointly run by The Expat Group (TEG) & Eat Drink KL. This website features all of our up-to-date reviews, plus exclusive weekly articles & a searchable database on restaurants in KL & Selangor: EatDrink.my

qwazymonkey: oh, he has a facebook page with a photo album of the menu, so u can choose your own dishes from this selection here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20564&id=122362777810506 ... boo has listed some directions to gasing indah below, but here's a google map link as well: http://bit.ly/htPI9ltng: go with a few other people if possible, so u can sample more items! be prepared though ... the portion sizes are really large!!!boo: oh, i think he's been playing it by ear, since this seemed to start out as a hobby for him. he's not publicity-shy though, but i think he's been pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback from his customers :D

michelle: yep, can linger here all evening!j: ya, the carbs are really filling ... frankly, that pizza might be enough for two people to eat without having to order anything else! :Dunkaleong: oh, i asked him to reserve a bottle of wine for us, and he said he could serve us a french red, but i didn't enquire any further. i suspect u could also bring your own bottle for a minimal (or maybe even nonexistent) corkage charge =)leo: yeah, it's really well-prepared, with no msg and using mostly organic herbs and spices. but i almost wish there was a bed for us to sleep in after such a big meal :D

Lfb: ahh, it's one of those housing areas off jln gasing. Less than 30 mins from your home :D huck's seems to be booked through the end of this week already. I hope he doesn't burn out from all that cooking!!!

lemongrass: oh ya, i noticed on my news feed that he wrote about me on his facebook page (which some of you joined yesterday, yay!). actually my friend and i didn't manage to finish part of the food, so we had to get doggy bags in the end :Dlfb: ya, half the days for next month are also gone, due to folks booking for christmas and year-end celebrations. but go ahead and work out your magic makan organizing skills (and maybe bring qwazymonkey, tng, j & unkaleong along, since they all wanna come here too)! :D

Lfb: got wat. Didn't u recently lead a band of babitarians into the wilderness, where u successfully feasted on pork ribs and what-not :DEiling: good idea! Wonder whether huck will accept orders for Chinese new year!

J2kfm: oh ya, I'm betting that Xmas eve and day have been taken ... Would be nice if a few more good 'private kitchens' like this open in KL. Definitely a nice change from dining at regular restaurants =)

hey sean.. ive been here.. the food is amazing! its in his house.. beautiful concept! u should try Malayalee food. South east indian.. The food there is awesome! thats if your into indian authentic food. Its called May N Mikes Spicy Corner. its at 357c 5/57 Petaling Garden. its close to Huck's cafe, just that its before and its a shop lot! try it!! finger licking good!

Shereen: glad u enjoyed huck's! Oooh, I've heard of may N mikes, but haven't managed to try it yet. I have a bit of trouble with indian food cos i can't handle spicy stuff very well, but if I'm ever in that neighborhood, will look it up. Thanks for the info! :D